We're not quite The Jetsons yet, and robots don't seem to be making good on their plans for world domination. But computers and the Internet are playing a growing role in our lives. Activities and interactions that once took place offline, leaving little to no tangible trace, are being shifted online through a proliferation of websites, secured servers and mobile device applications.

Our employees' computers keep a record of their web browsing and the programs they use, which can all be recovered and recreated in the right hands. Privacy concerns have garnered much more attention than the vital application of this data on fact investigation and litigation. Internet histories, browser caches, lists of recent files and programs and deleted data fragments can all provide critical evidence that is essential to winning a case. Yet, this data is as fragile as it is crucial, and care and experience must be brought to ensuring its preservation and production.

Uses of ephemeral data